100 Firefighters Tackle Rainham Grass Fire As Havering Blazes Affect Nearly 44 Acres

Fifteen fire engines were sent to a major grass fire near Acer Avenue after two separate blazes in Romford. The three incidents affected an estimated 44 acres of open land as London entered official drought conditions.

Around 100 firefighters tackled a major grass fire in Rainham on Wednesday evening, hours after crews responded to two other large fires elsewhere in the London Borough of Havering.

Fifteen fire engines were sent to the scene near Acer Avenue after London Fire Brigade received the first of 12 emergency calls at 7.36 pm on 29 July. Around four hectares of grassland, equivalent to almost 10 acres, was alight.

Crews used specialist wildfire beaters to deprive the flames of oxygen and cool the burning ground. The fire was brought under control at 9.56 pm, more than two hours after the first call. Its cause remains under investigation.

Smoke from the Rainham grass fire prompted advice for nearby residents to close their windows and doors. Drivers passing through smoky areas were told to wind up their windows, close their air vents and switch off air conditioning to avoid drawing smoke into their vehicles.

Firefighters attended from stations including Romford, New Cross, West Norwood, Dockhead, Orpington and Sidcup, as well as surrounding areas.

Three Major Fires Across Havering In One Afternoon

The Rainham incident followed two separate grass fires in Romford earlier on Wednesday.

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were sent to Southern Way, where approximately four acres of grassland were damaged. The first of 11 calls was received at 4.15 pm, and the fire was under control by 5.50 pm.

A further eight engines and about 60 firefighters responded near Eastern Avenue West. Around 20 acres beside the westbound carriageway and another 10 acres beside the eastbound side were damaged before the blaze was controlled at 7.16 pm.

Road closures caused significant traffic disruption while crews worked to prevent the Eastern Avenue West fire from reaching nearby properties. A specialist Terrain Support Vehicle, capable of carrying equipment and about 475 litres of water across open ground, was deployed.

Taken together, London Fire Brigade’s estimates indicate that nearly 44 acres of grassland were affected across the three Havering incidents in less than six hours. That calculation combines the 34 acres damaged in Romford with the four hectares reported alight in Rainham.

The causes of all three fires are being investigated. Havering Council said it was working with the London Fire Brigade, Metropolitan Police and other partners to establish how the recent fires began. It said any suggestion that an incident was started deliberately would need to be established through the investigation.

Drought Increases London Wildfire Danger

The fires broke out on the same day that the Environment Agency officially placed the whole of London in drought.

London was among seven areas declared to be experiencing drought on 29 July following exceptionally high temperatures and very low rainfall. The agency described the rapidly developing conditions as a “flash drought” and warned that wildfire danger was increasing as rivers ran low and vegetation dried out.

Havering Council said it was continuing preventative work on council-owned land, including litter clearance, grass cutting and vegetation management. It is also working with private landowners to create and maintain firebreaks where appropriate.

Residents have been urged not to light barbecues or open fires in parks and grassland, to extinguish cigarettes completely and to take glass bottles and other litter home. Anyone discovering a wildfire should move away from vegetation and smoke, call 999 and avoid attempting to fight the flames themselves.

Investigations into the Rainham and Romford fires were continuing on Thursday, with no cause officially confirmed.